The Poke Pelago Nightmare
by UniverseCharger1
Summary: It happened to me — I lost a pokemon at Poke Pelago. I prayed she just got separated from the others and couldn't find her way back. But I got something much worse. OC, loads and loads of pokemon characters with nicknames, talking pokemon (all trained pokemon talk).
1. Prologue

I remembered the first time we met. Four long years ago. Back in Kalos during the beginning of spring. Santalune Forest. I hated that place almost as much as Viridian Forest. Totally wasn't a fan of forests. Hundreds of trees everywhere, the canopy shrouding everything in darkness like permanent night. I was lost, wandering for maybe two hours, pissed off, hungry.

Then I found you – a tiny little egg nestled under a tree. I didn't know what you were, who you were, so I kinda just kept walking, assuming your family was somewhere nearby. Until I heard the cracking, the hatching. I watched you come to life. I watched you break free and enter this world. I watched you breathe your very first breath. And I watched you watching me.

Franchesca, my Petilil.

I don't know what it was about you – and you'd probably laugh in my face for saying something so corny – but the moment our eyes found each other, the darkness all around us seemed to brighten, like you were born knowing Sunny Day. You weren't, but still. A forest never felt so magical.

I waited for your family to show up, a group of Petilil or Lilligant, to usher you away. Except no one came. Just you and I. A baby Petilil and a nineteen-year-old pokemon trainer. I kept waiting. And waiting. Couldn't let you out of my sight. I wanted to make sure no wild pokemon made you their lunch.

Your sparkling brown eyes still staring at me, you made that cute squeaky cry you used to do when you couldn't talk yet. My body moved on its own and the next second I held you in my arms, the leaves on your head resting in my hair. In the chill of the forest, you were the only warmth.

You meant a lot to me, Franchesca. And you meant a lot to the others, too. You were like a daughter to many of my older grass pokemon. A best friend to Darleen, my Steenee. A big sister to Hersi, my Oddish. A passionate fan of Kenya, my Primarina, when she hated her singing voice. The one friend Cecilia the Trubbish and Reese the Muk truly needed when no one could stand how they smelled.

That's why… I won't give up my search. I'll find you. We'll all find you. This family abandons nobody.


	2. Character Guide

Character Guide:

When nicknamed pokemon are first introduced, the species name is written alongside it. I might redo this in every chapter. I've created a character guide just in case someone might need it. I realize this could make reading more difficult, but I felt like nicknames added more characteristics to the pokemon. I guess if enough people dislike nicknamed pokemon, I could change it back to just species names. There's about 141 guys on Poke Pelago, but not all of them will get a lot of screen time. I'll add more names as characters appear. I've already added future characters who I know will show up.

Franchesca: Petilil

Jona: Pidgeot (female)

Haas: Pidgeot (male)

Rockwell: Flareon

Talon: Swampert

Amy: Ampharos

Kidd: Scyther

Terry: Kanto Raichu

Cria: Salazzle

Bonny: Swellow

Avon: Honchkrow

Reese: Kanto Muk

Cecilia: Trubbish

Ron: Rhydon

Hersi: Oddish

Chance: Oranguru

Flora: Mudsdale

Harvey: Scolipede

Marcie: Gengar

Danish: Torterra

Rodney: Nidoking

Chev: Machamp

Howie: Machop

Vean: Pinsir

Rugby: Heracross

Savan: Lapras

Kenya: Primarina

Andrea: Gorebyss

Dice: Kingdra

Grimm: Blastoise

Nico: Magmar

Roy: Meowth

Darleen: Steenee

Marvin: Accelgor

Ruka: Gardevoir

Crock: Steelix

Lamont: Alakazam

Gabby: Mamoswine

Mal: Meganium

Starla: Glaceon

Nissa: Arcanine

Rhonda: Kanto Ninetales

Kindle: Alolan Ninetales

Rayna: Alolan Raichu

Med: Snorlax

Zno: Starmie

Adam: Gallade

Denice: Kanto Golem

Raingo: Drampa

Dakota: Bergmite

Auska: Herdier

Shauna: Furfrou

Apollo: Slowking

Owen: Ditto

Simon: Minun

Brianna: Manectric

Breezey: Medicham

Barry: Simipour

Wilda: Midnight Lycanroc

Bryce: Sawk

Harugo: Hitmonlee

Mo: Hitmonchan

Med: Snorlax

Kacey: Clefable

Dyson: Blaziken

Iko: Sceptile

Tisha: Absol

Gus: Mismagius

Ela: Dusknoir

Ace: Leafeon

Omar: Seviper

Roxie: Zangoose

Mondo: Poliwhirl

Seria: Snover

Dizzy: Vileplume

Earl: Hypno

Gonzo: Flygon

Sahara: Gligar

Antwon: Braviary

Darrius: Gogoat

Marcus: Chatot

Linus: Maractus

Arvina: Baile Style Oricorio

Christa: Sensu Style Oricorio

Milo: Shiinotic

Roman: Decidueye

Justice: Alolan Marowak

Hero: Kanto Marowak

Craig: Noctowl

Dania: Staraptor

Athena: Tranquill

Harris: Bisharp

Vita: Venomoth

Dollar: Butterfree

Glenn: Mothim

Quenton: Vivillon

Alonzo: Ribombee

Karra: Alolan Meowth (female)

Garian: Alolan Meowth (male)

Maria: Weavile

Nancy: Sneasel

Chuck: Wigglytuff

Mick: Mr. Mime

Monica: Golduck


	3. Chapter 1

I logged into a pokemon center's PC, a line of people behind me, and requested Franchesca. Half an hour ago, I stumbled across a Lilligant family in Malie Garden and figured she'd like to meet them. Chances of any being related to her were slim to none, but I knew how much she enjoyed seeing Lilligant. An evolution she'd never reach. She had this weird birth defect that rejected sun stones. She was perfect the way she was, and I told her so many times, but it always really got under her skin – being stuck as a Petilil.

Withdrawing mons from Poke Pelago through PC took centuries. One of Mohn's machines would receive the request, locate who I wanted via mass isle scan, get them back inside a pokeball, then transfer them over. Why couldn't the process be fast like ATMs?

A message finally popped up: Pokemon not found.

W-what? I stared at the screen, at Franchesca's old photo staring back at me, her eyes full of life. Usually, I'd get a _Please Wait_ , or _This is taking longer than expected. Bare with us_. But those three words? Never.

I clicked Franchesca's picture again to withdraw, because no way this could actually be happening. Poke Pelago was a safe paradise where pokemon could rest, mingle, eat, exercise. But they were always, always available to be picked up whenever.

Pokemon not found. Same message.

My head felt like it was being squeezed, my stomach sinking. Pokemon not found? The hell did that mean?

I logged off, took out my cell as I rushed for the automatic glass door, and dialed Mohn's number. He'd better pick up.

After three rings, his voice came. "Hello?"

"It's me, Brodie. I'm trying to get one of my guys from Pelago, but can't. Know anything about that?"

"Who did you want?"

"Franchesca, my Petilil. Your system's saying she can't be found." I was breathing way too hard, my heart ready to explode out of my chest. I needed to relax. This could all just be an error, a simple mistake.

"I'll check myself. Hold on, okay?"

"Okay."

I plopped onto an empty bench outside, massaging my temple. People walked in and out of the center, their pokemon beside them, smiling, laughing, chatting away. Things Franchesca and I should've been doing right now. I was freaking out. Just an error. Just an error. Everything's okay.

"Brodie." Mohn returned. The way he said my name, his voice thick with hesitation – did not like where this was going. At all. "Um… Franchesca, she's, uh—"

"What?"

"She-she's missing."

"Missing? How could she be fucking missing?" I shouted. "Tell me! I trusted you. I left her in your care. And you lost her."

Dozens of eyes snapped to me. Who cared if people thought I was crazy or too loud. They'd act the same way if they found out one of their pokemon, one of their friends, suddenly disappeared.

"My apologies. You're right. You have every reason to be upset. She was my responsibility. But I'm sure she's just hiding somewhere. Don't know how she's eluding my island scans, though. It's peculiar."

I took a deep breath, running my free hand through my black hair. "I'm coming over. We're gonna find her."

"Yes, we will."

"I'll be there soon."

I hung up. I wanted to call the police next. But what would happen to Mohn and Poke Pelago? If Franchesca wasn't found, they'd probably close it all down and arrest him. Mohn was a good dude, a man who lived for pokemon, and all my pokemon loved those five islands and everything they had to offer. I'd just started depositing them there a year ago. Lots of memories at that place.

And hopefully we'll look back at this whole situation, too, and laugh about it.

I dug in my pocket for a pokeball, tossed it. Light burst out, then Jona hovered before me, huge brown wings beating steadily. Jona, my second, larger – but way slower – Pidgeot.

"Morning!" She cooed with a closed-eyed smile. When she got a better look at me, though, her smile crumbled away. "What's wrong? You look angry. Terry ate your food again?"

"No, it's Franchesca. She went missing at Poke Pelago. I know it's a pretty long flight, but can you gimme a ride?"

"Franchesca's missing?" She lowered herself to the pavement, turning her back to me. "How?"

I climbed on and gently wrapped my arms around her neck. "I don't know. But I'm going to investigate."

Flapping, she wheeled into the air, the ground below us shrinking and shrinking. Soon the people were ants, the buildings mini toy houses.

I still remembered the first time I flew with a pokemon. Marcie – in her psycho Haunter days – thought snatching me up and soaring around like Super Girl would be totally funny. Spoiler alert: My fourteen-year-old self didn't laugh, and I was paranoid around her for, like, weeks. Nowadays, she's less spontaneous and defiant. Playing mom to younger pokemon really mellowed her out.

Jona's speed quickened as we rushed through the blue. Wind was whipping my face so hard, I buried my face in her back, my grip tightening. Glad I decided on no hats today. With my nose smooshed against her, I smelled that shampoo I bought all over her plumage, like strawberries and peaches.

She hadn't said a word since we took off. Not even a, _Am I going the right way?_ She was focused. Like, laser-focused. And I couldn't truly tell, but she seemed faster. Not quite like Haas, my other Pidgeot, but, damn, Jona was moving. Must've been as worried about Franchesca as me.

#

We finally arrived at Poke Pelago, high above Isle Abeens. I squinted for a better look while Jona slowly descended. If I were on Haas, or really anybody else, we'd be nose diving and I'd be holding on for dear life. Should travel with Jona more often.

Twenty guys were there. In the meadow, Rockwell (Flareon), Talon (Swampert), Amy (Ampharos), Kidd (Scyther), Terry (Kanto Raichu), and Cria (Salazzle) sat in a half circle, mouths bulging with poke beans. Chance (Oranguru) mounted Flora (Mudsdale), with Harvey (Scolipede) watching nearby. Bonny (Swellow) and Avon (Honchkrow) perched together on one of the beanstalk's branches, talking. I wasn't in earshot, but Bonny said something that almost made Avon tumble out the tree. Hiding under the beanstalk's shade, Danish (Torterra), Rodney (Nidoking), and Chev (Machamp) snored away. By the shore, Vean (Pinsir) and his sidekick, Rugby (Heracross), spoke with a group of my water pokemon bobbing in the ocean. Probably up to no good, as usual.

Everything looked so peaceful – meaning Mohn hadn't told them anything yet, wherever the hell he was. His Raft Hut wasn't over here.

"Hey!" I shouted, and Jona squawked.

Heads lifted in our direction. Recognizing us, they yelled in unison. Sounded like a cheer. Bonny and Avon launched from their perch, reaching us first. Not including guys stuck in water, like Savan (Lapras) or Kenya (Primarina), everyone else made a mad dash to the heart of the isle. Not gonna lie, I felt like a celeb when they greeted me like this.

Avon chuckled. "Came to pick me up personally, I see." He and Bonny circled us over and over, all the while following our descent.

"You're delusional, boy," Bonny joked. "Brodie's here for his number one bird, AKA me."

All four of us landed, surrounded by friends. Soon as I dismounted Jona, Rockwell stood at my feet, nuzzling my leg. I reached down to stroke his furry red back. His body was hot, like my hand hovered over a stove, and I imagined wild flames flickering inside him. But he and my other fire-types never burned me, thankfully.

Everyone spoke at the same time, trying to get my attention. A few patted my arm or tugged my shirt. "Guys," I said, and they quieted. "I'm here because one of us has gone missing."

They let out a collective gasp.

"What?" Kenya hollered. She had dragged herself onto the shore, water dripping from her mermaid body. "What's happening?"

The others stepped aside so I had a clear path to her. They all fell in line behind me, a parade of pokemon. Reaching her, I reiterated. Savan, Andrea (Gorebyss), and Dice (Kingdra) swam closer, their bodies rising and falling with the current.

"None of you saw Franchesca today?" When all twenty said no, I continued. "Okay, well… maybe someone on one of the other islands did. I need everyone to come together over here. Can I get volunteers to gather the whole family?"

"I'll go." Avon wing-saluted me.

Bonny rose into the air with Avon. "My wings are your wings!"

"On it." Dice turned away, slicing through the sea. Huge sheets of water shot up all around him. Dude was like some monstrous motorboat. If you would've told me my timid, easily-tired-out Horsea would someday evolve into that, I'd never believe you.

"Wait for me!" Andrea dove, disappearing underwater, out of sight.

Savan and Kenya hurried after Dice. Next, Talon cannonballed into the water, breaststroking away.

"I've still got enough in the tank," Jona said between panting breaths.

I held her down before she could take flight. "You've done enough. Take a break. Go eat."

Cria slung an arm around Jona. "He's right, love, we wouldn't want you passing out on us." She opened her other hand. Pokebeans of every color rested in her palm.

Jona gave her a wary look. "You didn't breathe any of your deadly poison on them, did you?"

"I'm hurt. You think I'd be offering if I did?"

With a shrug, Jona pecked at the food, her beak a machine gun. That flight must've really made her hungry. Wow. I lowkey feared she'd miss a pokebean and stab Cria's hand.

I grabbed the remaining pokeballs from my belt and threw them. Grimm (Blastoise), Roy (Meowth), Darleen (Steenee), Nico (Magmar), and Marvin (Accelgor) materialized before me on the shore, landing in the sand. From their somber faces, I guess they'd been eavesdropping.

"About time you let us out." Roy scampered up my leg, up my arm, and sat on my shoulder, his favorite seat. I loved when he did that, but hated all the cat hair he'd leave on me.

"Franchesca's really gone?" Darleen asked, a catch in her voice. Her small, fingerless hands touched my leg, her fuchsia eyes glassy with tears.

I petted the calyx poking out of her head. "Don't cry. I'm sure she's okay."

But I wasn't sure. Not in the slightest. Don't wanna say I'm cynical, but I'd heard stories. Stories of trainers' pokemon vanishing one day and never returning. Stories of missing pokemon found gnawed to death, mutilated, hundreds of miles from home. That couldn't have happened to Franchesca, though. No. She had a lot of life to live. A lot to give to the world.

My blood chilled as Darleen hugged my leg. I hoped she didn't feel me trembling. Still petting, I realized I rarely got a chance to pat her head. Franchesca would usually be there sitting at the top, like an onion hat with eyes. Darleen looked so naked without her.

"I'll help gather the others, too." Grimm pounded a fist to his chest.

"Godspeed," Roy told him, his breath tickling my ear.

"I'll tag along," Nico said. "No diving underwater, please."

This was the part where Grimm would joke about fire-types being a disgrace to all pokemon. He gave us none of that today. Just a nod and they were off sailing, Nico surfing on Grimm's large shell. Who said Lapras was the best ferry pokemon? I watched the flame on Nico's tail until they were so far away, it looked like a speck of red light floating on water.

I was about to talk with my remaining pokemon when Mohn's raft boat appeared from the right, heading our way. He docked on the shore and stepped out.

"Any news?" I asked after he greeted me.

"Still nothing. Sorry."

My pokemon groaned with me.

"If none of the others know where she is, I'm gonna form a huge search party."

"Sounds good. You definitely have the manpower to do that."

Right on cue, they approached us – the birds like flapping V's in the sky, the ghosts like low discolored clouds, the swimmers like fleets of mini ships ferrying crowds. Friends I knew for years, friends I knew for months – all of them were racing this way.

All around Isle Abeens, lights flashed as psychics emerged out of nowhere, transporting companions. Lamont (Alakazam) with an arm around Gabby's tusk (Mamoswine), his other around Mal's neck (Meganium). Ruka (Gardevoir) with Crock (Steelix), his giant steel-snake body shaking the entire island momentarily. I glimpsed a line of mons on his back, Starla (Glaceon), Nissa (Arcanine), Rhonda (Kanto Ninetales), Kindle (Alolan Ninetales) to name a few. Adam (Gallade) with Denice (Kanto Golem), Raingo (Drampa), and Dakota (Bergmite). Then the three psychics vanished, only to return with more over and over again.

Soon, everyone had been assembled. All 140. Rayna (Alolan Raichu) arrived last, soaring on her thunderbolt-shaped tail. They huddled around me in a wide circle, a serious look on every face I scanned. Even Zno (Starmie), who didn't have eyes or a mouth, held an air of no-nonsense. Gotta say, impressive. More than impressive. No one looked at me to play with them. No one ignored me to eat pokebeans littered across the ground. No nonchalant attitudes. And most importantly, no infighting. Not everyone got along, I knew that. Howie (Machop) and Chev (Machamp) did _not_ like each other. Auska (Herdier) and Shauna (Furfrou) had disagreements. And there were more feuds. Yet they stood together, all differences put aside to hear my voice, to hear my commands. A true united force.

It turned out not one pokemon had seen Franchesca. So huge search party it was. We split into several divisions – one for each isle on foot, three different air units, and two squadrons for the ocean. Mohn gave every leader a walkie to rely info. We were gonna tear Poke Pelago apart.


	4. Chapter 2

_Don't look down._ I kept repeating in my head. A drop of sweat rolled into my right eye, forcing me to shut it. I would've wiped it away, but I was kinda busy not falling to my death while climbing Isle Abeens' beanstalk.

This beanstalk was probably a bazillion times taller than Crock (Steelix) if he stood on the tip of his tail. I couldn't even see the top. Clouds concealed it like white, fluffy curtains. And I was dumb enough to be climbing it, with no safety ropes or special gear. At least the footholds left from all those times Vean (Pinsir), Rugby (Heracross), and Roxie (Zangoose) went up were deep.

I shouldn't have sent all my flyers to different isles. I should have let my pokemon climb for me. But I wanted to be a part of the Franchesca search party, too. The chances of her being way up here wasn't likely – how the hell would she even get up here? – but we had to scour every inch of Poke Pelago.

Something hit my ass, pulling me from my thoughts. I glanced back.

"Get along there, little Brodie." Garian (Alolan Meowth) smirked. "You're slowing me and Sis down."

I scrawled at him, but, yeah, he was right. I must've stopped moving, because Roy (Kanto Meowth), Maria (Weavile), Nancy (Sneasel), and Barry (Simipour) were way ahead of us now. His sister, Kaara (Alolan Meowth), looked ready to climb right over both of us.

"You can go pass me if you want," I said.

Garian shook his head. "I volunteered to stay behind to make sure you don't fall. We can't have that. If you get hurt, who will be there to buy me Moomoo Milk?"

Just full of jokes today, wasn't he? I mock-laughed, then went back to scaling the beanstalk.

My earpiece crackled. "This is Sky Squad A to Sky Squad C." Gonzo's voice (Flygon) filled my ear. "Do you copy?"

Mohn had given me and, I think, fourteen other pokemon earpieces. Super helpful. Communication was key.

More crackling. "Go for Sky Squad C. This is Barbeque Bicep speaking."

I almost interrupted their conversation. Barbeque Bicep? Who the… I suddenly remembered Howie (Machop) jumping on Athena's back (Tranquill) before they flew off. Did he really need a stupid codename, though?

"Cool name," Gonzo said.

No, it wasn't.

"Can you give us a live report? We haven't found anything over here."

"Nothing here. Just clear skies and a blue sea beneath us. No sign of our Franchesca yet."

"Keep me posted," Gonzo said. "Sky Squad A to Sky Squad B. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear," Marcie (Gengar) replied. "Sky Squad B here. This is Maternal Phantom."

Stop with the codenames…

"Ooh, great name."

Ugh.

"Report."

"The south sky and sea is empty so far. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Okay, keep an eye out. You know she's so small, she's easy to miss. Even with our keen eyesight."

It went on like this forever – squads from the land, sea, and sky communicating with each other, throwing out ridiculous codenames but having nothing important to share. Nothing. At one point, Mick's (Mr. Mime) land squad thought they discovered something resembling Franchesca. It ended up being some onion plant.

All these pokemon, all these extra eyes, and still… nothing.

No luck way up in the beanstalk, either. We checked branch after branch and climbed so high, my ears closed up, and I could barely breathe because of the lack of oxygen. My squad didn't seem affected by the altitude. Only me. I guess pokemon had really powerful lungs or something?

I endured until I thought I'd pass out, then radioed someone to get me down. Dania (Staraptor) came to my rescue. Soon as my feet touched earth and Dania departed, I fell to my knees in the grass.

Bodies rushed back and forth, burrowing underground, checking under boulders, sniffing dirt, grass, and sand for Franchesca's scent.

A sick feeling crept into my chest. I couldn't breathe again, as if I was still up in the beanstalk.

 _They weren't going to find her._

I watched and watched. And the thought kept whispering.

 _They weren't going to find her._

When I actually looked away from my pokemon, the sun had dipped halfway into the ocean, the sky an array of pink, orange, purple. When did it get so late? How many hours had I been sitting there?

"Guys," I spoke into my earpiece. My voice sounded so weak, so… pathetic. "If-if anyone needs to rest, they should. No, it's been a long day. Everybody should get some rest. Let's, uh… let's pick up the search tomorrow."

I didn't know if they'd listen or not. They didn't have to. I felt untrainer-like.

I waited for the guys nearby to stop working. Harris (Bisharp) jumped down yet another hole he'd dug. Simon (Minun), mounted on top of Brianna (Manectric), glanced in all directions, calling Franchesca's name. Roxie jogged into a path of grass up to her scarred chest. Omar (Seviper) slithered after her, and together they scoped the area.

My earpiece crackled with voices.

"This dragon doesn't need rest," Gonzo said. "I feel like I can go all night."

"If I was lost, Franchesca wouldn't stop looking for me," Darleen (Steenee) replied.

"Franchesca needs us," Marcie said. "If I keep going, I know I'll find her before midnight."

"Rest sounds so damn good right about now." Med (Snorlax) yawned. "I'm way past my curfew. But sleep will have to wait."

"Wow!" Mick shouted. "If a lazy guy like you can keep going, we all can."

My eyes welled with tears. My vision blurred.

I didn't deserve any of these pokemon, these friends.

#

My eyes opened to a cloudy morning sky. I had fallen asleep listening to my pokemon over the radio. Night had come and gone. Before I could ask if anyone had found Franchesca, I could hear someone talking through my earpiece.

"Okay, team, roll call."

I was still half-asleep, so it took my brain a sec to recognize the voice. Gonzo. He sounded half-asleep, too.

"Who's still out there? Jona (Pidgeot) and Haas (Pidgeot) are my only co-pilots left."

A minute passed. No response.

"Any morning warriors out there?"

Crackle. "Med is knocked out," Owen (Ditto) answered. "So I took the liberty of stealing his earpiece. He'll probably be asleep for a whole year."

Owen was kidding, but, I mean, I'd never seen Med so active for so many hours. I even fell asleep before he did. Me, an energetic pokemon trainer. Him, a snorlax. Things like that just didn't happen in real life. Until, you know, today. He could sleep a whole 365 days if he wanted. He earned it. Then, whenever he wanted to wake up, I was gonna buy him all the pancakes, ice cream, and pizza he wanted.

"Still here," Darleen said. "The rest of my team – whatever land squad I'm apart of, I forget – is sleeping."

"I'm up," Marcie said. "Barely. I'd say my eyes are bloodshot red, but they're that way naturally."

"L-O-L," I jumped into their conversation and chuckled. That might've been the first time I've laughed since this whole thing started.

"Ah, Brodie," Gonzo said. "Nice to have you with us. Haven't found Franchesca yet, but we haven't given up."

"I can see that. But, hey, I really think you and everyone else should rest for a bit. Aren't your wings sore as hell?"

"A little, but I've trained a lot with you over the years. I've got endurance."

"You're not a machine, though. None of you are. So, get down here, eat some beans, eat some poffins, some berries, and recharge yourselves."

This time, I was giving orders. Like a real trainer. I lost myself earlier, but I got better after sleeping.

"Franchesca is a soldier. I know this because I've trained her, too. Just like all of you. She might be lost, but she's not in any pain. She's keeping herself safe, waiting for us to arrive. She knows we have too many more journeys to go on, too many regions to visit, for her to let things end here."

I had to stay positive. For my pokemon. For me.

But that whispering thought – it still lurked deep in my mind.

 _They weren't going to find her._

After Gonzo and the others complied, my earpiece went dead. I rolled onto my stomach. Pokemon slept all around me, like some huge camping trip. We just needed a bonfire and tents to complete the look.

Kindle (Alolan Ninetales) and Rhonda (Kanto Ninetales) faced away from each other, curled into balls, their tails draped over Marvin (Accelgor) like blankets of gold and white. Omar wrapped around Roxie in a lazy coil, their cheeks pressed together. I would've freaked if I didn't know they'd been sleeping this way since they were babies.

Under the beanstalk, Roy, his wife and daughter – Maria and Nancy – and the Alolan Meowth siblings lay, arms and legs tangled together. Barry wasn't with them. Probably resting somewhere in the sea.

I heard footsteps swishing in the grass and turned my head. Grimm (Blastoise) sauntered towards me.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, I echoed.

He was drenched head to toe from swimming. Speaking of drenched. "Grimm, when's the last time you got your cannons washed?"

He shrugged. The hatches near the top of his shell lifted and those awesome cannons shot out. Green and brown smudges dotted the muzzle and neck.

"Wait right there. Don't move." I left and returned ten minutes later, a bucket of soapy water in one hand, a sponge in the other, a rag on my shoulder.

Of all the pokemon I groom, I think I enjoyed grooming Grimm the most. I treated his cannons and shell like a new car. Doing it now was probably a waste of time, though. He'd just get dirty again searching for Franchesca. But I needed something to distract me, something to take my mind off things.

He turned his back to me. I scrubbed away at his shell.

"Gotta get you all nice and shiny. Chicks dig shiny turtle shells."

"I'm not looking for a mate," he told me.

"Lies." I laughed. "I've seen the way you look at Kenya, dude."

Silence.

So he didn't wanna admit it, huh? Mud dissolved and flowed down his shell in a dirty, soapy stream. "Am I wrong?"

"Why do you care?" he said. "You don't have anyone, either."

For a moment, I stopped scrubbing. I hadn't had a girlfriend in three years. Bad break up. I kinda miss her. But I kinda don't.

"You're deflecting," I said.

"And? I'm not obligated to answer."

"Okay, whatever. The way you're acting tells me enough, anyway. I think you two would make a great couple, like Roy and Maria. I'll drop the subject, though."

We fell into silence again. I didn't mean to get Grimm pissed. If he liked her, he liked her. Nothing wrong with that. I wasn't trying to play matchmaker. For now.

I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed. By the time I finished, my arms wanted to fall off. Times like these I wish I'd been born a Machamp. Those extra pair of arms would've been a godsend. Sunlight caught Grimm's spotless cannons at an angle, and they shimmered like white gold. I did a hell of a job.

"All done." I wanted to add, _Now go show Kendra how amazing you look_ , but I kept my mouth shut.

Everyone had started waking up. Not too far from us, Tisha (Absol) lay down as Auska (Herdier) licked her fur, careful to avoid her scythe-horn. Flora (Mudsdale) sat on her haunches as Chance (Oranguru) picked at her mane, eating whatever had been stuck in there. Eww.

Roxie, with Omar wrapped around her shoulder, talked with the two Ninetales, Marvin, Simon, and Brianna.

At the shore, Craig (Noctowl), Dania (Staraptor), Antwon (Braviary), and Christa (Ghost Oricorio) stood in shallow water, cleaning each other's feathers with their wings. Floating in deeper water, Mondo (Poliwhirl) and Monica (Golduck) watched. I guess they were admiring them?

Grimm laughed.

"What?" I asked. "What's so funny?"

"Remember how short you used to be? You needed a stepstool to reach my cannons."

I had to be about twelve or thirteen back then. I never reached six-foot, but around sixteen-ish I grew taller than Grimm. Not by a lot, maybe about three inches.

"You think that's funny? Remember the time I stuffed my hand inside one of your cannons?"

"And nearly got your hand blown off because you found my trigger? I felt awful."

"Why? That was my bad. It was stupid, but funny."

"What about the time you tried to squeeze inside my shell? You said something about if we became shell bros we could win any pokemon battle."

"It almost worked."

We laughed, and I sat down. He joined me.

I pulled out a fistful of grass between my outstretched legs. "Remember how I used to think if I just believed hard enough, I could evolve into a Blastoise, too?" I unclenched. Blades fluttered to the ground.

"And I actually believed you could," he said. "Calling us naïve would be an understatement."

"I know, right? The closest I ever got to being like you was wearing that dumb Halloween costume."

We laughed out loud again, our voices echoing.

"Brodie," Mohn called out from behind me.

Standing up, I faced him. "What's up?"

"Franchesca's last whereabouts – I've seen her on one of the surveillance cameras. Let me show you."

"Y-you did?"

He nodded. "Come on."

I followed him, with Grimm four steps behind. Mohn led us to his cabin. The front door was too narrow for Grimm, until he withdrew his cannons and squeezed in sideways. In an unlit room, Mohn sat in a swivel chair. Grimm and me peered over his shoulder. The computer screen displayed a paused black and white video.

My heart thundered in my chest. God. The last moment before Franchesca disappeared. The last time anyone saw her. A shadow of dread fell over me. I gripped the back of Mohn's chair hard, like I just got on a rollercoaster with no restraints.

Mohn clicked play. We stared at a giant cave, its mouth shrouded in darkness. Torches flanked either side. Isle Aphun. Pokemon raced for the entrance, their speed slowed frame-by-frame. I counted them. Cecilia (Trubbish), Ron (Rhydon), Raingo (Drampa), Kacey (Clefable), Sahara (Gligar), Rodney (Nidoking), Dyson (Blaziken), Dizzy (Vileplume), Quenton (Vivillon). Nine pokemon. Okay. Didn't see Franchesca, though. What did this video have to do with—

Mohn hit fast forward. My eyes drifted to the clock at the bottom right corner of the screen. Minutes passed in seconds. Around the seventeen minute mark, Mohn resumed playing. Nothing happened, just a shot of the cave.

Then a Petilil popped into view.

Franchesca.

Mohn zoomed in on her. She headed for the cave. Right before entering, she glanced back, like she didn't want anyone seeing her. Why would she…?

I expected that to be the end, yet Mohn fast forwarded. At five hours and forty-eight minutes, Franchesca emerged from the cave. She went in alone, came out alone. Also didn't return with any treasure. So why even go in there? More importantly, why did she wait for the others to go in first?

She left the camera's eye, and Mohn stopped the video.

"That's all I've got," Mohn said. "That is the last time any of my cameras caught her on film."

I stared at the screen a little while longer, gathering my thoughts. "I don't get it. She leaves the cave, then goes missing? Conveniently off-camera somewhere?"

"Seems that way."

I groaned. Grimm put his heavy hand on my shoulder.

"This is weird," I said. "Does she know where the cameras are?"

"I'd be surprised if she didn't," Grimm told me. "Those cameras aren't exactly hidden. I've spotted them all the time in plain view. But then the question becomes: Why would she avoid surveillance?"

"To hide something," I said. "You saw the way she looked back before going in. Something's wrong."

"I assume there's no cameras in the cave itself?" Grimm asked.

Mohn shook his head. "Afraid not."

"What now?" I asked, not expecting Grimm or Mohn to give a real answer. "Search Aphun all day? We don't even know if she vanished on that island. Only info we got now is it happened where there were no cameras."

"Which is quite a lot of places," Grimm added.

I tried to remember the team who investigated Isle Aphun yesterday. My mind drew a blank. In any case, they found nothing, obviously.

"Sorry," Mohn said. "I'll keep doing what I can to help. Perhaps I'm wrong and overlooked her in later videos. I'll re-watch all the footage the day she went missing."

"Thanks."

Me and Grimm stepped out of the cabin and into daylight. My head wanted to explode. I was angry. More fucking angry than I'd ever been. I wasn't 100% sure, but this disappearing act… it could've been intentional. She could've wanted no one to find her. Maybe. I didn't know, and it was driving me crazy.

Or maybe… maybe her acting suspicious and entering the cave on her own and leaving empty-handed was coincidental?

Regardless of her intention, that still didn't explain why no one could find her. Like, she literally disappeared into thin air.

My eyes burned.

"You okay?" Grimm asked.

I didn't answer, just walked ahead of him.

"Brodie, I—"

Yelling filled the air. Didn't sound like happy yelling, either. Somebody else felt just me. More voices shouted, and I took off running, my feet trampling the grass.

When I got past the thick beanstalk blocking my sight, I found my pokemon huddling around. "The hell's going on?"

"She can stay gone for all I care," Wilda (Midnight Lycanroc) said.

"How can you say that?" Hersi (Oddish) shouted over the others. "She'd search for you if you went missing."

"I wouldn't want her help, that rude little bitch."

"Don't you call her that, you stupid wolf!"

"Stupid, huh? How's this for stupid?"

I jostled through the crowd, hurried to the middle. Wilda had a paw-fist raised, ready to bring it down on Hersi. I tried jumping between them. One step too late.

Wilda's fist came crashing downward.

Something blurred past me.

A loud smack echoed.

Bryce (Sawk) stood in front of Hersi, Wilda's fist buried in his palm.

"You'd hit a child?" Bryce's hand tightened around Wilda's.

"It's called discipline," she growled. Her crazy red eyes flashed brighter, angrier. Her sharp teeth bared.

"You're not her mother. You have no right to lay hands on her or anybody. If you think otherwise, try your discipline out on me."

I reached them. "That's enough. Stop it." I pushed Wilda and Bryce away from each other. "We don't get into these kind of fights around here. This is a family. We have our ups and downs, but it's still family. Wilda—"

She fled through the crowd.

"Hey, get back here! I'm talking to you!"

Thin fingers touched my arm. I looked down.

Milo (Shiinotic) stood beside me. "Don't worry, I'll go talk to her."

He jogged after her as the crowd around us dispersed.

"Thanks, Bryce." I high-fived him.

"It was nothing. If I didn't jump in, I'm sure someone else would've. No one was gonna truly let little Hersi get hit."

Hersi was bawling her eyes out. She could water herself with all those tears.

I picked her up off the ground, held her to my chest, and caressed her back. "There, there. Everything's fine. You're safe now."

She wailed. "I'm not crying because I was scared. I'm crying because of what Wilda said."

"Don't let her words get to you. Wilda's just… frustrated, is all." I said that to soothe Hersi. I didn't have a clue why Wilda acted like that.

Her crying reduced to sobs. I put a finger under her eye and wiped a tear away. She smiled, and I smiled before setting her down. I reached past her "leaf hair" and scratched her head.

"There you are!" a voice boomed.

I damn near jumped out of my skin. I spun around and came face-to-face with Apollo (Slowking) and Lamont (Alakazam).

I flailed my arms. "Damn it, what did I say about teleporting behind me? Don't do that!"

Apollo let out a sheepish laugh. "My apologies." His face hardened like Lamont's. "We came here to discuss with you about Franchesca."

"You know something?" I stepped closer to them.

"No," Apollo whispered.

Why would he need to keep his voice down all of a sudden? Who wasn't supposed to be hearing us?

He continued. "But we think someone else does."

"Like who?"

They looked past me, at the rest of the pokemon, then their gaze returned.

Wait, surely they weren't thinking one of our own was responsible for this – for Franchesca's disappearance.

The look in Lamont's dark eyes spoke to me before he could say one word. "We believe someone knows something but isn't talking."


	5. Chapter 3

I forgot how to talk. My mouth just would not work, like my brain was malfunctioning.

How could Lamont say that? Someone knew what happened but was keeping it secret?

No. Pokemon were loyal, caring companions. My pokemon were loyal, caring companions. They worked their asses off searching for Franchesca. Every single one of them. Wilda, too, despite her cold words. Because she and the others knew how worried I was. And they didn't like seeing me unhappy, ever.

Now I'm supposed to think somebody among us had been pretending all along? Searching where they knew they wouldn't find her? Playing me like a fool?

I held my head in my hands.

"Brodie?" Apollo said.

Too much. All of this. First Franchesca sneaking around, acting suspicious. Now this. But how wrong could a Slowking and Alakazam be? One had superior intellect on the level of award-winning scientists, the other an IQ of five thousand. Both were way, way smarter than me.

Lamont uncurled his fingers around his silver spoons, and they ascended, hovering above his head. He threw an arm around my shoulder. "Let's talk somewhere more private."

I thought we were gonna teleport, but the psychics just led me farther away from the others, away from the beanstalk's colossal shadow, closer towards the shore. Dania and her bird friends had flown off, the sea empty, quiet.

"This is all just a theory," Apollo said, no longer whispering.

"Yes, we don't know if this is factual," Lamont said. "However, with the amount of bodies we have searching high and low for Franchesca, it's a little hard to believe no one holds any knowledge over her disappearance."

"I-I thought pokemon never lied to their trainers." The words escaped my mouth before I could think. I sounded like the little twelve-year-old who thought he could evolve into a Blastoise. Stupid. Naïve.

Apollo and Lamont exchanged glances like, _Is this guy serious?_

I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I know a trainer-pokemon bond isn't I-caught-you-so-we're-automatically-friends-and-you-can't-lie. You guys have freewill. It's just… I've known most of you for years, and we've been through a lot. Everyone sees how much I wanna find Franchesca, so if they knew what happened why stay silent?"

"No need to apologize," Lamont said. "I understood what you meant. I've observed you catch others like Apollo and I and raise them like your own children, even when you yourself were a child."

One of his spoons floated between us. I looked at it, looked at him.

Apollo gasped, his eyes the size of plates, as if the spoon were worth a million dollars.

"Go on. Grab it," Lamont told me.

I did, and a blue aura flickered to life around Lamont's entire body. When I glanced at the spoon, the same aura ran down my arms, my legs, all of me. He was sharing energy with me, the same way all my pokemon did when they mega evolved or used a z-move. But this power felt… softer, warmer, and didn't have the adrenaline rush or the whole we're-about-to-wreck-somebody feeling.

The tension in my shoulders eased. My anxiety melted away. My thoughts finally stopped racing. Couldn't tell if Lamont's energy somehow calmed me or if it was just because we were having a moment. Felt good, though.

"You let him hold a spoon?" Apollo said, his voice almost squeaking. "You never let anyone touch your spoon. Not even me. Astounding. Simply astounding."

I wanted to say this wasn't a big deal, but the more I thought about it, the more memories returned – the time Dyson (Blaziken) got blasted for just tapping a spoon with a finger, the time Marcie (Gengar) stole one while he was sleeping and hid it somewhere. Lamont had a nervous breakdown. Oh, and then there was the day he evolved into Kadabra. He only carried one spoon back then. I tried grabbing it, but before I could he locked himself into his pokeball and wouldn't come out or speak to me for hours. Damn. Now here I was, spoon in hand, body glowing like a neon sign, and Lamont wasn't flipping out. Guess astounding's the right word.

Apollo raised his hands to his Shellder-crown. "Brodie, I'd offer you my royal crown, but I'd revert to a slowpoke."

"Please don't," I said. I love Apollo, but I don't miss Slowpoke-Apollo. You can't hold conversations with a slowpoke. "Better idea: Cut off your tail so I can eat it. I hear it's really good." When his face soured, I laughed. "J.K."

"We've gotten off subject," Lamont said.

I nodded, handing him his spoon. Our kickass auras faded.

"Where was I? Oh, yes." Lamont began pacing. "I understand how you must feel, that none of your pokemon can do no wrong. But you need to take a step back and look at this objectively. There's just too many potential witnesses here for there to truly be none."

I sighed, staring down at the sand. If I didn't have shoes on, I'd bury my toes. "Maybe."

"We actually both came to the same conclusion on our own," Apollo said. "Before we even talked to each other."

"Okay, and you two have talked to no one else about this?"

Apollo shook his head. "I had a word with Chance (Oranguru) first. He, too, is skeptical, like you."

I was about to say something else when I heard Grimm's voice. "Brodie!"

He hurried over as fast as a husky turtle could, meaning not very fast. Roy rode atop his head like a furry white hat. When they reached us, Roy leaped from Grimm to me, sitting on my shoulder.

I turned my head so I was nose to nose with Roy. If he had a nose, I mean. "Finally got away from the wife and kid, huh?"

"For now." He smirked. "I know Apollo and Lamont here are boring you to death. I came to save you with my magic Blastoise cruiser."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Is Meowth tail a delicacy, too?"

"What?" The back of Roy's fur stood on end. "That's what you guys were talking about? Eating tails?"

"No, he's kidding." I looked to the psychics. "Can we at least let two more in on this?"

Apollo and Lamont traded looks, and I wondered if they were using telepathy.

"Very well," Lamont said. "But we can't tell too many."

"Tell too many what?" Grimm asked.

Apollo explained.

Roy and Grimm didn't reply. They were just like me – unable to swallow the idea of a close friend withholding info on Franchesca. I could practically hear the gears in their minds grinding.

Grimm was the first to answer. All he said was, "Hmm…" Really thought-provoking, right?

"Hold on," Roy continued. "Wouldn't that make you guys suspects, as well?" He pointed at Apollo and Lamont.

"Huh?" I exclaimed with the psychics.

"Both of you were here on Poke Pelago when she went missing," Roy said. "Only ones who couldn't have done it are me, Grimm, Nico, Jona, Darleen, and Marvin. We were all with Brodie."

Well, he wasn't wrong. Apollo and Lamont were definitely here. But why—

"If it were Lamont or I, why would we bother discussing our hypothesis with Brodie? Wouldn't it be wiser to let him brainstorm on his own?"

My thoughts exactly.

"You psychics are crafty. Maybe you brought this up thinking it would keep you out of the spotlight. Because who would suspect an investigator could be a culprit?"

"You're overthinking, my friend." Lamont cracked a smile. "But at least you're thinking. We both claim to be innocent, but you can add us to your list if you want. It's fine."

Forget about accusing them. I still hadn't accepted their theory. Not sure I could. Trying to distance myself and take an objective look wasn't working out. God, I was a trainer, not a detective.

I wish I could just rewind time back to a few days ago. When figuring out what to eat for lunch was my biggest worry. When Franchesca was safe in my pocket. When my world was perfect.

"I think you two are innocent," I said. "But, hey, Roy, Mohn's got surveillance. He showed me and Grimm Franchesca's last moments before she disappeared. Apollo and Lamont weren't around her. I can show you if you want."

I expected a no, yet he said, "Yeah, why not."

"I'd like to see the Franchesca footage, too," Lamont said.

"Me, as well," Apollo said.

#

We crammed into Mohn's camera room, the lights off like last time. Didn't realize how small this place was until now. I wanted to stand by the door, but had to move up so Roy could get a better look at the screen.

"Okay, here's the part," Mohn said.

Roy, Apollo, and Lamont watched with laser focus. Their stares could burn holes right through the monitor. Maybe me and Grimm looked the same way when we first saw it.

After Franchesca exited the cave and went off screen, Mohn paused the video.

"Can I see it again?" Lamont asked. "Just the parts where she enters and leaves."

Mohn rewound, hit play.

We watched a second time.

"Again, please," he said.

During the fifth replay, I said, "How many times do you need to see her do the same thing?"

Lamont's eyes never left the screen. "Something seems… off."

"You mean the part where she's looking all suspicious before going in? I thought so, too."

"No. I mean when she leaves the cave."

That got everyone's attention. Me, Grimm, and Apollo leaned in closer. Roy's cheek pressed against mine as we fought for the best view.

"Are you sure?" Apollo asked.

Lamont didn't answer, like the footage had hypnotized him.

Mohn rewound without being told to.

At the Franchesca exiting part, I stared my hardest, waiting for some crucial detail to pop out at me.

Nothing.

"Anybody? Anybody see anything?" I glanced around at the others. Their faces mirrored how I felt – confused.

"One last time," Lamont said.

Mohn rewound for, like, the millionth time. Gotta give 'em credit for not getting annoyed. This was getting ridiculous. I watched anyway, and guess what happened? Nothing. Same shit.

In the middle of Franchesca leaving the camera, Lamont turned to us.

"Well?" I waited. We all waited.

"Franchesca goes into that cave," Lamont paused. "She never returns."

"What?" Anger rushed through my veins. Footage clearly showed Franchesca leaving. I wasn't blind. This was no time for stupid jokes. "Listen, Lamon—"

"Please allow me to finish."

I inhaled, trying to calm down. What more did he have to say? None of it made sense.

"The Franchesca you see emerge from the cave is _not_ Franchesca."

The room seemed to spin – the walls, the ceiling, the floor.

My legs weakened, and I thought I'd collapse.

"It's subtle, barely noticeable. That Petilil's movement differs from Franchesca's. The leaves on her head don't sway the same. My eyes almost didn't catch it. Also, the walk. The other Petilil takes larger strides. And by larger, I only mean an inch or two. Again, subtle. That's why I kept asking for replays."

I had to sit myself down, the floor cold where my hands touched. I could only imagine what my face probably looked like. My body went numb, so numb, I couldn't feel Roy's fur against my head anymore.

I knew what this all meant, if I believed any of it. I only had one Petilil. And wild Petilil didn't live on Poke Pelago. That left one possibility.

An imposter. Someone shapeshifted into Franchesca. Transformed.

Only one pokemon of mine had that ability. Just one. Nobody else.

Owen (Ditto).


	6. Chapter 4

Lightheaded, I picked myself up off the hard floor. Roy clung to my shoulder so he wouldn't fall, keeping his claws retracted. Good thing he did. He'd ruined a few of my favorite shirts, tearing into sleeves while hanging on.

"We gotta move," I said. "If Lamont's right, then Franchesca's in that cave."

I wanted to get in Owen's slimy pink face. I wanted to yell at him. No, I don't abuse my pokemon, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't wanna hit him. Or at least make him transform into someone I hated, then hit him. Call it tough love.

But confronting him would have to wait. Finding Franchesca was top priority. Why would she stay inside the cave all this time? Don't tell me Owen did something to her. He wouldn't. Owen wasn't like that. And I don't remember him ever having problems with her. They got along fine. Then again, he just lied to me and everyone else, something I didn't think he'd ever do. If Lamont's right, I mean.

"Something I don't understand." Roy folded his arms. "We never saw Owen go into the cave. How could that be him?"

"Hey, yeah, he's right," I said.

"Let's search for him on that day," Mohn said.

He clicked his mouse and several videos popped up on screen. He rewound the footage. My pokemon did everything in reverse – walking backwards, un-chewing poke beans and watching the food ascend back into the beanstalk. Kinda funny but none of us were laughing.

"Maybe he transformed into one of your psychic pokemon," Mohn said. "That way, he could teleport inside without being caught on camera."

I nodded. "Maybe."

"Or…" Grimm raised one of his clawed fingers. "He could have transformed into one of us water pokemon and entered through the secret entrance."

"I'm sorry, secret entrance?" I asked.

Mohn slewed in his chair to face Grimm, apparently interested, too.

"It's not so secret," Apollo said. "Anyone who can swim is generally aware of it. About seven months ago, Crock burrowed a tunnel that leads to the ocean. It's near the back of the cave. Many now travel through that passageway."

"Fascinating," I said. And it was. But I didn't wanna sit here speculating. "Look, Mohn. When you find Owen on tape, call me on my phone, not on the earpiece." I looked between Lamont and Apollo. "Let's get to that cave."

"Wait." Mohn reached for something beside his computer desk, tossed it to me. A flashlight.

"Thanks."

Lamont put a hand on my arm, Apollo on Grimm's. The room melted right in front of my eyes, like someone slipped something in my drink. Speaking of that, when's the last time I had anything to eat or drink?

We were back outside, the sunlight harsh. We must've stayed in Mohn's cabin for way too long. I cupped a hand above my eyes and stared at Isle Aphun's cave. Over the sound of waves crashing behind us, I could hear wind howling deep in the darkness.

Somewhere in there, Franchesca waited for me. At least I hoped. My grip tightened around the flashlight.

I started towards the cave. Grimm, Apollo, and Lamont fell in behind me. Just as we were about to enter, something rumbled inside. Then the ground under our feet trembled.

I didn't panic. I already knew what it was. Not an earthquake or a pokemon using Earthquake. Should've known we weren't the only ones here.

A massive gray face burst from the dark, almost too wide for the cave's mouth.

"Hey, Crock," I greeted him with the others, my voice flat. I bet he wanted to stop and talk.

"Brodie!" he shouted. "Grimm, Lamont, Roy!"

Ya know, with a pokemon that size, you'd expect this deep, loud voice. My Steelix had a normal voice. Not soft, not loud, just… normal. Weird. I think Rodney (Nidoking) had a louder voice.

He moved closer, trying to snuggle. But since his face was a thousand times bigger than all of me, it was really awkward. Like hugging a skyscraper. A skyscraper that could move.

"Hang on. Give me some room," he said.

We backed towards the shore, and he slithered forward until the rest of him exited the cave. His upper body lifted, casting us in shadows.

"Look out below."

His mouth hung open. A rush of shards and stones spilled out of him, caked with dirt. His newly found treasure gathered into a colorful waist-high pile. We could definitely make some cash selling all of that. After we get around to cleaning off the soot and Steelix saliva.

Roy chuckled. "I love when you vomit out everything you find, Crock. It's disgusting, but at the time awesome."

Among the hard stones and shards of green, blue, and red, a sun stone poked out. I reached in, pulled it free. I blew off some dirt and turned it between my fingers. If Franchesca were here, she'd tell me to break it or she'd shatter it with Energy Ball. Can't remember the last time I came across one without her around. Like the universe was tormenting her, reminding her she couldn't evolve.

Maybe this was a sign. A sign I was about to finally find her.

I wouldn't let her destroy this sun stone, though. Hersi told me she dreamed of becoming a Bellossom someday, even with Dizzy trying to convince her to join him as a Vileplume. Gonna give this stone to her later. She could hold on to it.

"I've been restless," Crock said while I slipped the stone in my pocket. His serpent body surrounded us in a wide circle. "I figured I'd be the one to find Franchesca. I've never felt so useless." His hard face shifted into a frown.

I kicked off my shoes and climbed his face. Because he didn't like it when I walked on him with my feet covered. Said something about it being unsanitary. This coming from a guy who spent his days digging through the earth with his entire body, always discolored and brown from filth. Yeah, I didn't get it either, but if it made him happy…

I stood in front of one of his eyes, giving him the clearest possible look at me. "You're not useless. You put your all into searching for Franchesca. You've done your part. Now, get some rest."

He nodded very slightly so he wouldn't knock me off. I climbed down, put my shoes back on.

"What're you guys up to?" Crock asked.

In the middle of retying my laces, I froze.

Crap. Should we tell him or not? We had a potential lead and a suspicious Owen. And I knew Crock and Owen were really close friends. I leaned towards a strong no.

"Brodie wanted us to give him a tour of the cave," Apollo said. "He's never stepped inside before and is quite curious."

Sure, let's go with that. "Just wanted to see what goes on in there." I kept my head down. "Maybe one day I'll grab a pickaxe and dig all day with you guys."

"Oh, okay," Crock said. "Don't expect too much. Remember the cave you found me in? The cave I was born?"

"Union Cave?"

"That's the one. It's nothing like that. Smaller place, no Rattatas to pop up and spook, no Sandshrews to challenge me to burrowing competitions.

"Sounds like somebody misses being a wild pokemon," I joked.

He laughed out loud. "Nah. Thanks to you, I've evolved, both physically and mentally. I used to think the whole world was that one cave. It's all I knew. I also thought humans were as annoying as Rattatas. You proved me wrong."

"And I used to think Onixs were too big and too scary to raise. Half expected you to eat me one day. You proved me wrong, too."

He bobbed his head. "Before you go, can I get one of you wonderful psychics to transport me to Abeens?"

"Ask and you shall receive, my friend." Lamont put a hand on him. In a blazing flash, they were gone. In another flash, Lamont returned. "Let's proceed."

#

Twenty minutes into our exploration, a thought dawned on me. Crock, with all his crazy burrowing, couldn't find Franchesca. What chance did we have? How did the team searching this cave yesterday not find her? How well-hidden did she have to be for no one to see her?

We walked around our fifth Crock-sized hole in the ground. Damn, he tore this place apart.

"Can I hold the flashlight?" Roy asked, his voice echoing off the dark walls. He had changed seats, riding on top of my head.

"You gonna get off me and lead the way?"

"Nope."

"Then, no."

I went back to calling Franchesca's name. Sometimes the wind answered as it swept past, whispering, but never Franchesca.

We rounded yet another corner. I flashed the beam of light everywhere. Rocks, rocks, stalagmites, more rocks. And holes. Some by Crock, some by others. I dunno why I even bothered checking the stupid ceiling. She wasn't a Zubat or Graveler.

The farther we walked, the worse my thoughts.

What if they were all in on it? Crock. Owen. The team that searched here yesterday. All of them.

The flashlight shook in my hand.

"You okay, Brodie?" Grimm asked.

"What?" I steadied my grip. "Yeah."

This place was no Mt. Coronet, but the corridors seemed just as endless. You could totally get lost. Like me right now. I sucked at remembering my way back. Dunno what I'd do if Lamont and Apollo weren't with me.

About an hour and a half later, we found a pond. A Crock-sized pond. This had to be that secret entrance. Beyond that, a dead end. No more corridors.

My feet hurt like hell. I'd walk until they fell off if it led me to Franchesca, though.

I sat beside the pond, flashlight pointed towards the ceiling. "What now?"

No. No, I knew what. Time to pay Owen a little visit. I wanted answers, and he was gonna give them to me.

I stared into the darkness and I swore I could see his face there.

Apollo stood next to me, dipping his tail into the water. An old habit of his from when he was still a Slowpoke. Always wondered what would happen if a Shellder bit a Slowking's tail. Kingslowbro? Slowbroking?

"Only one thing left to try," Lamont said. "We track Owen in silence. Allow him to lead us to Franchesca."

Okay, maybe my aggressive plan wasn't the plan, after all. Lamont's sounded way better. Even if I confronted Owen like I wanted, nothing stopped him from lying again. But, goddamn. I was so out of patience.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I answered without checking the caller's name. I should've, though. Last thing I needed was some scammer on the other end. "Mohn?"

"Brodie," he started. "I saw what your Ditto did. Like Grimm predicted, he transformed into a water-type on Isle Aplenny and dove underwater. This is fifteen minutes after Franchesca entered the cave."

"Go on."

"After the Franchesca exit, an hour later, he rises from the sea near Isle Avue, disguised as yet another water-type. He swims ashore, quickly drops that form, and stays in one of the hot springs for the remainder of the day. It's not a hundred percent proof, but the timing seems too convenient to be mere coincidence."

Agreed. Unless Owen liked masquerading as water pokemon and hanging out underwater for hours, I'd say he looked pretty guilty. In fact, anytime I saw him on Poke Pelago, he'd be on an island somewhere, not in the ocean. "Good work. Do you know where he's at right now?"

"One moment."

He sounded like an operator. Honestly thought he'd put me on hold and play music. All I heard were his fingers clicking away at the mouse.

"Found him. Isle Evelup."

"Got it. Keep an eye on him. I'll call you back later."

"What'd he say?" Roy asked after I hung up.

I relayed the message.

"Told ya so," Grimm said. I squinted, just making out the proud look on his face.

"Isle Evelup it is," I said.

My hand on Apollo's back, we teleported.

The sun blinded me again.

Someone gasped.

I forced my burning eyes open just in time to see Marvin (Accelgor) tipping over a wooden edge. I reached for him. But like the badass bug-ninja he was, he regained balance, righted himself.

"Sorry," Apollo and Lamont said together.

The streamers on Marvin's back rippled in the warm breeze. "It's my fault for not being more alert. If this were a battle, I'd have lost." He hung his head in shame.

"Dude, relax," I told him. "You're at a resort. It's okay to not be in ninja mode."

"I wouldn't be so sure. The atmosphere here is charged."

He turned away. I followed his gaze and realized we could oversee the entire crescent-shaped island. We were atop the Trevenant tree. Compared to the beanstalk, this height was nothing.

He wasn't lying about the intensity. Lots of training everywhere below. Most days there'd be eight guys here. Today, over twenty-five.

Near the east side of the isle, grass pokemon lined up two at a time, firing Solar Beam in unison. Mal (Meganium) and Iko (Sceptile) were the next pair. They stood side-by-side, shimmering specks of solar energy amassing into their bodies. The flower around Mal's neck lit up, completely white. Beams exploded from their mouths, racing into the sky, ripping apart clouds, until I couldn't see them anymore. Mal and Iko traded words, probably compliments, then moved aside for the next pair – Darrius (Gogoat) and Ace (Leafeon).

On the west side, Hero (Kanto Marowak) and Justice (Alolan Marowak) sparred. Every time their bone clubs crashed together, a loud thud echoed in the air. Spoiler alert: Hero always won. He had the experience and quickness. Justice's style was too flashy, and he relied too much on his ghost-typing to save his ass.

A more evenly matched duel was happening not too far away. Maria (Weavile) versus Kidd (Scyther). Both speed demons. Blurs of black and green collided, claws and scythes clanging like swords. At a safe distance, Marcie (Gengar) held Nancy (Sneasel) in her lap, watching the fight. Nancy shouted and cheered her mom on. I'd make a bet with Roy on who'd win, but this wasn't the time.

The only other sparring match was Wilda (Midnight Lycanroc) and Ron (Rhydon). They were wrestling, their hands locked in a test of strength, with neither budging. I'd never seen them train together before.

My eyes went to the north side of the isle. Roman (Decidueye) honed his archery with Mondo (Poliwhirl). Floating in the sea, Mondo spewed large, fat bubbles from his swirl-stomach. Roman let loose his arrow quills, popping them one-by-one.

In the heart of the isle, Mo (Hitmonchan) instructed Dyson (Blaziken), Nico (Magmar), Ela (Dusknoir), and Denice (Kanto Golem). The lesson – Thunder Punch. Mo punched air. His fist crackled with electricity snaking all over his glove. The others gave it a try. Ela and Denice only produced tiny sparks. Nico and Dyson's fists flickered with power, maybe as much as Mo's.

Behind them, Chev (Machamp) did push-ups with one pair of arms. With Gabby (Mamoswine) on his back! Over six hundred very heavy pounds on top of him. And he was exercising like she weighed no more than a pillow. Rodney stood over him, counting.

Directly below us, under the Trevenant tree, a circle of pokemon sat. Breezey (Medicham),

Earl (Hypno), Ruka (Gardevoir), Adam (Gallade), Mick (Mr. Mime), and Harugo (Hitmonlee). All eyes closed, they meditated. Excluding Harugo, their bodies were aglow with psychic energy.

Lastly, a few yards away, Arvina (Baile Style Oricorio) and Christa (Sensu Style Oricorio) were having some sorta dance-off. Arvina was fast-paced, fluid, Christa slower, more graceful. Linus (Maractus) joined them, and amazingly, the Oricorios weren't annoyed. One time, I tried dancing with them, and they got pissed. Maybe 'cause my body didn't make music like Linus.

A second, really clumsy sensu-style Oricorio jumped in. Stumbling over its talons. Smacking its face with those fan-tipped wings.

Found him.

"Did you guys come here to watch?" Marvin asked, his back still facing us.

I answered for everyone. "Yeah. Looks like a good show, too. We should get a closer look."

I figured we'd look less suspicious if we went down and mingled. Pretended everything was normal. Besides, we could be here for god knows how long. I wasn't staying up in a tree.

Lamont and Apollo's psychic energy enveloped me, Grimm, and Roy. We floated to the ground, landed just past the meditation group.

"Act natural," Lamont whispered.

Sand crunched under our feet as we walked. I chanced a peek at Owen. Now Christa was attempting to teach him the ways of sensu or whatever. She'd do a couple dance steps, then he'd mirror her. Or try to anyway. He sucked. And I wasn't saying that 'cause of the situation.

"Brodie!" Mo called out.

He threw a worn-out pair of boxing gloves at me. I didn't catch them. They hit my chest and fell to my feet. My old boxing gloves. I had a short-lived dream of being a professional boxer. Used to practice with Mo all the time. Then I just kinda grew out of it. It wouldn't have worked out. My punches were too slow, plus I had low endurance. Mo made it his job to carry around my gloves, just in case I wanted to restart.

"Come on, kid, lace 'em up," he said. "Let's go. Me and you. One-on-one. Mono-a-mono."

Wow, he really wanted to kick some human ass.

"When I feel like being a fleshy punching bag, I'll let you know. Why can't you spar with Dyson or Nico?"

He barked a laugh, waved me off, and refocused on his trainees.

Roy catapulted off my head and approached Marcie and Nancy.

"Hey, little girl," he said, disguising his voice.

When Nancy turned her head, her eyes twinkled. "Daddy!" Marcie released her, and she ran straight into Roy's arms.

Cute. Almost made me wonder if settling down and having kids with someone wasn't such a bad idea. Almost. I'd be a terrible dad. Raising pokemon and raising babies weren't the same.

The Maria-Kidd fight didn't seem to be slowing down at all. Meanwhile, Hero knocked Justice on his back, his bone club rolling away, its flames shrinking out of existence. Hero held his club in Justice's face. Then he lowered his weapon, extended a hand. Justice took it, and Hero pulled him to his feet.

I headed for Wilda and Ron. She managed to drag him to the ground in a headlock.

"Brodie." She freed Ron, got to her feet, and met me halfway. Couldn't even look me in the eye. "About earlier…" Her ears flopped down.

"You got whatever that was out of your system?"

"Yes."

I waited for her to say more.

"Sometimes she gets on my nerves. Franchesca. We used to be close. When I evolved, everything changed. She got mean and nasty all of a sudden. Told me I looked better as a Rockruff. It got to the point where we stopped talking. I'm not the only one she's done this to. Unless you're a grass-type or met her after you evolved, she turns into a bitc— Sorry. She even went from telling Kenya (Primarina) how great her voice was to hating everything she sings because she evolved. I'm not kidding. It broke Kenya's heart for a while."

I took a step back, struggling to find words. I never knew. That sounded fucked up. Franchesca knew how fragile Kenya was about her voice. To do something like that...

However, that didn't excuse Wilda trying to hit Hersi.

"I see. I'm sorry she's been treating you that way. One of you should've told me. I would've had a talk with her and tried straightening things out. What you did back there to Hersi, though – totally uncalled for."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Tell it to Hersi next time you see her."

"I will."

"Thank you." I petted her on the shoulder before walking by.

I fist bumped Ron. "Horn looks good, bro. Sharp and lethal."

His drill spun. "I keep it that way."

On my way to the grass-types and their Solar Beam contest, Darleen (Steenee) spotted me. She stood in the back of the line, paired with Seria (Snover). I crouched to her eye-level.

"Wish I could gather solar energy as fast as the others," she said.

"In due time," I told her. "You think Mal and Iko were always that great? No. They worked and worked and worked. Battle after battle. Practice after practice. You'll get there."

We watched Dizzy and Milo (Shiinotic) tip their "hats" at each other. They began mustering sunlight.

"Franchesca can fire a pretty good Solar Beam, too," Seria said.

"I know," Darleen said. "Hey, wouldn't it be crazy if she shot one in the air right now? Like an SOS?"

"Would be nice," I said.

We fell into silence for a few minutes. They had to be doing the same thing as me – wishing she were here.

"When will we start searching again?" Darleen asked.

There wouldn't be a search today. "Later," I said. If we started now, Owen would participate. Owen participating means no Owen leading us to Franchesca.

"But I'm all rested up and ready," Darleen said.

"That's good. Just wait for my word."

I glanced at Owen dancing with Christa, Arvina, and Linus. I tried my best not to give him a death stare. "We're getting her back today. Trust me."

It took a few hours, but Owen decided to move. Still impersonating Christa, he took to the sky. He couldn't dance, but he was a pro at flying. Based on his direction, he had to be headed for Isle Avue.

We took our time, waited so it looked like we weren't following. No teleportation this time. We swam over, me and Roy on Grimm's shell, Apollo ferrying Lamont. Unlike other isles, Avue sat high above the ocean, just enough to hide our heads from view. You'd have to be standing near the edge to see us.

Wind carried the sound of laughter to my ears, Owen's among them. When we reached the isle, Lamont grabbed my arm before I could climb on land. He and Apollo had come up with a plan. Lamont would go alone and inform Apollo on the situation via telepathy. The rest of us would remain hidden in the water.

I slowly poked my head up as Lamont advanced. I wanted to see at least a little bit of Avue. I peered through the warm mist. In the nearest hot spring, Barry (Simipour), Monica (Golduck), Andrea (Gorebyss), and Raingo (Drampa) slept. Lamont crept in with them, careful not to wake anyone.

In the left one, Terry (Kanto Raichu), Rayna (Alolan Raichu), Amy (Ampharos), Simon (Minun), and Brianna (Manectric) were sending weak electric streaks back and forth, shocking each other, giggling. Because that was how they played footsies, I guess. Whatever. Gonzo (Flygon) and Talon (Swampert) were with them, too, absorbing shocks. They felt nothing, thanks to being ground-types. Both had weirded-out expressions on their faces, like _How the hell is electrocuting yourselves funny?_

In the last hot spring, Antwon (Braviary) was doing stand-up. Yes, my Braviary wanted to be a comedian. He stood in the middle of the spring, his wings gesticulating like feathery hands. An audience surrounded him – Kenya, Marcus (Chatot), Chuck (Wigglytuff), Craig (Noctowl), Kacey (Clefable), Shauna (Furfrou), Zno (Starmie), and Owen.

There weren't enough words to describe Antwon. He didn't have the spirit of a Braviary at all – hated fighting, hated getting battle scars, and was easily frightened. You couldn't get more un-Braviary than that. According to him, he'd been released by four, count 'em, four different trainers. Which could be true. I mean, when I met him in the wild, he already spoke English. Wild pokemon didn't do that. I remember he kept begging me to catch him, to throw a pokeball. I wanted him to go away. Roy persuaded me because Antwon was "too funny." Glad I caught him. For all his un-Braviaryness, he was a good friend. No, we never won battles together, but he got me through some dark times just by talking. As far as comedy, I wasn't the target audience. The jokes were hilarious if you used to be a wild pokemon, apparently. Only one that really made me laugh was the one about him and some other birds aiming their poop at random objects, keeping score like a videogame.

I only heard the punch line, and the crowd broke out laughing. Marcus, perched on Kenya's shoulder, almost fell over. Zno's jewel flickered like a bad light bulb. Owen's Christa form dissolved.

How Owen could be having this much fun, knowing what he did…

My stomach churning, I lowered my head, sat on Grimm's shell.

Antwon's act went on for at least another hour. After that, everyone chatted, a dozen conversations going on all at once. Couldn't really pick up on what they were saying. Just when I thought we'd be waiting all day, finally, finally Apollo's head shot up from the water.

"Lamont says Owen's about to depart," he said.

Lamont floated down onto Apollo's back. "He's morphed into Zno. This could be it."

Like when Owen left Evelup, we stalled. I caught a glimpse of Owen-Starmie cutting through water, distancing himself from the isle. He then submerged.

We pursued, but stayed on the surface. Apollo and Grimm kept their heads under, no doubt watching Owen. Once the cave loomed over us, Grimm let me and Roy hold our breath before we sank. Water filled my ears, my eyes shut tight.

Wait! My phone was still in my pocket. And that earpiece. And flashlight. Damn it. Too late now.

I opened one eye. Past bubbles and schools of fish, Owen disappeared into a tunnel – the secret entrance.

Grimm swam faster. We entered, rising upward into darkness.

My heart jumped into my throat. Despite all this chasing, I still had a tiny bit of doubt that Owen did it. I wanted to be wrong. I wanted this to be one big misunderstanding. But now everything was going according to plan. It scared me. What were we about to see?

Without any light, it didn't matter whether I had my eyes open or closed. Owen could've been waiting to ambush us for I knew.

We slowly surfaced. Me and Roy breathed silently as possible through our noses.

"Are you there?" Owen's voice echoed in the pitch black.

Shit. He knew we were behind him the whole time? But ho—"

"It's me, Oslinn. I'm here."

Oslinn…? Who? None of my pokemon went by that name.

I heard a noise, like glass cracking. Blue light flooded the cave. I could see now. In front of Owen – now in Ditto form – a large hole hovered. The space between him and the cave's dead end had somehow been ripped open. How did that make sense?

"Owen." A green orb floated out. "What can I do for you? Come to check on your friend?"

"Have you finished?" Owen asked. "She's still not ready?"

"Afraid not. It will take more time."

"I need her now. My friends know she's missing, and I don't know what to do."

"Owen… I regret to inform you of this, but Franchesca won't be coming back. It's been decided."

"What?" Owen shouted, echoing my thoughts. "That's not what you promised. Why?"

"She needs a new, better life. One she cannot have in your world."

No more listening.

I burst from the pond, soaked. "I dunno who you are, but whatever you've done with Franchesca, give her back. Now."

"Brodie!" Owen looked scared to death. "I—"

"I thought I told you no humans?"

The orb pulsed. One minute I was standing, the next thrown off my feet. All of us got knocked into the air. I landed on my back, hard, but I didn't feel it. Adrenaline, maybe. I got to my feet. Grimm, Owen, and a Slowpoke sprawled nearby.

Slow… poke? Apollo? His Shellder crown – it fell off.

I looked everywhere. The Shellder. Where did it go?

The green orb retreated into the portal. Roy jumped in after it. The hole began shrinking.

"The portal's closing!" I said.

Lamont stood, his psychic aura enveloping him. The portal widened again. It fought against Lamont's power, steadily shrinking.

I found the Shellder hopping toward the pond. I grabbed it from behind, rushed to Apollo, and forced it to clamp down on his head. Apollo evolved, a king reborn.

I crouched in front of him, my hands on his cheeks. "You okay?"

He stared at me, dizzy. "What happened?"

"You de-evolved for a sec. You're good now. I need you to help Lamont keep that portal open. Me and Grimm are going."

Apollo pushed himself off the ground and focused his energy, the portal struggling to close, but expanding.

I hit the button on my earpiece. I doubted it still worked. "Urgent message! Everybody get to Isle Aphun. Back of the cave. Franchesca needs help! Repeat. Everybody to the back of Isle Aphun's cave. Franchesca needs help. Spread the word."

No response.

I had to go. Roy needed me. Franchesca needed me.

Grimm by my side, we raced for the portal.

"Wait for me." Owen transformed into Grimm and chased after us.

I had a lot of things to say to him right now, none of them good. But now wasn't the time.

"Be safe!" Lamont yelled. "We'll keep the portal open for as long as you need."

We leaped inside.

Our feet touched down in grass. White frosted grass. The sky was black, like night had suddenly fallen. Looking up, though, I realized this wasn't anywhere on Earth. A single, massive grey star hung in the sky. No moon or any other stars.

Ahead of us, Roy swiped at that green orb thing, missed, and another shockwave sent him flying our way.

I caught him, the impact driving me backwards, my shoes ripping through the white grass.

When we finally stopped, I looked at him against my chest. "You jumped in all by yourself. What, did you plan on soloing this guy by yourself?"

"Maybe," Roy said with a smile.

The orb flashed, and after the light died out, a humanoid figure stood there. A pokemon I'd never seen, ever. The orb had attached to the end of a slender tail. His body was entirely grey, except for these three pairs of long, thin red wings. His skin was chipped and cracked from head to toe, like he'd fallen apart and someone glued him back together. A leaf covered his head as if it was a hat, and sprouting out of the leaf-hat were long locks of tangled grass-like hair. On his forehead, I saw growth rings, the same ones trees had.

So, a grass-type?

"Leave this place, all of you," Oslinn said.

"We're not going anywhere," I said. "It's four against one. I don't think you're in any position to tell us what to do."

"This is my home. Family is here."

The ground shook. In the distance, something black rose out of the soil. A… a cauldron? The size of a skyscraper. From the top, silhouettes plunged, took flight. Dozens of them. Filling the sky. All somewhat identical to Oslinn.

The orb on Oslinn's tail detached, floated into his hand, and extended into a sort of scepter.

"Final warning," he said. "Withdraw. Turn back. Or you will be dealt with."

Grimm and Owen lifted their shell hatches, and their cannons shot out. Roy jumped out of my arms, extended his claws.

The growth rings on Oslinn's forehead darkened. "I will lay your souls to rest."


End file.
